Chapter 7: Severing Ties

He Yushui’s words nearly prompted He Yuzhu to declare an end to their sibling relationship. His face darkened instantly, and a surge of anger rose within him.

"Stop calling me brother; from now on, I’ll call you Silly Sister! Has your brain been waterlogged? You want me, a bachelor who has never been married, to marry a widow?" he roared, his voice trembling. "Did Qin Huairu feed you some kind of love potion? How could you even come up with such an idea?"

He Yushui clearly hadn't expected such a fierce reaction, but she bit the bullet, still attempting to persuade him. "Brother, Sister Qin is a truly good person. If you could marry her, it would be a blessing for our family. Besides, if it weren't for the fact that she’s a widow, she might not have even set her sights on you in the first place."

"Look at her—in terms of looks, figure, personality, and that industrious spirit, she is second to none in our courtyard. If she’s willing to be your wife, what more could you possibly be dissatisfied with?" She rattled off a string of praises for Qin Huairu in one breath.

But the more He Yuzhu heard, the angrier he became. His face turned a terrifying shade of blue. He grabbed his slippers, shoved his feet into them, and flung open the door. Pointing outside, he told He Yushui, "Get out! Just looking at you makes me angry. I’ll tell you clearly: I will never marry Qin Huairu. Get that thought out of your head!"

Seeing this, He Yushui simply sat down on the bed, adopting a stubborn posture, determined to get her way. "Brother, what is wrong with you? Why can't you see Sister Qin's worth? What is so bad about her?"

"Are you pig-headed, or are you deaf? How can you not listen to a word I say? I am telling you explicitly: I have no interest in Qin Huairu!" He Yuzhu’s temper remained unspent, and his tone was merciless.

His patience finally exhausted, He Yuzhu strode over, grabbed her by the collar, lifted her up, and tossed her out the door without a second thought.

"Brother, how could you treat me like this? You don't act like a brother at all!" He Yushui cried from outside, her voice filled with grievance and confusion.

Standing inside the room, He Yuzhu’s mouth twitched into a cold smirk. He shouted toward the door, "Since you don't treat me like your own brother, why should I bother pretending to be one? Go find your 'dear sister' Qin Huairu and stop pestering me!"

Hearing this, He Yushui’s tears flowed uncontrollably. She turned and ran, her figure quickly vanishing into the alleyways.

Just then, a voice echoed in his mind: "Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully thwarting He Yushui’s wish. Reward: four jin of white sugar, one bag of flour."

It was the system, but at this moment, He Yuzhu only cared about severing ties with He Yushui; these rewards felt meaningless to him now.

***

Meanwhile, at the Jia residence, Qin Huairu sat with a worried expression. He Yushui walked in, wiping her tears and looking wronged as she recounted what had happened. "Sister Qin, I genuinely wanted you to be my sister-in-law, but my brother just won't agree. He even threw me out. I really don't know what to do."

Qin Huairu looked at her, and though she felt a flicker of sympathy, her expression remained grim. She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, "These things depend on mutual consent. Since your brother isn't willing, then let it be. You can't force these things."

Realizing there was no hope, He Yushui stopped insisting. After exchanging a few more words of idle chatter, she left the Jia house.

As soon as He Yushui was gone, Qin Huairu could no longer maintain her facade. She spat on the ground and cursed, "That damn He Yuzhu, acting as if he’s too good for me just because I’m a widow. I’ve given him enough face!"

Though she said this, she felt an increasing sense of emptiness. She realized that He Yuzhu was truly determined to draw a line between them. For Qin Huairu, whether he wanted to marry her was not the most important thing; what she really cared about was the mesh-bag lunchbox he brought home. The Jia family was in dire straits—a mother-in-law and three children, all relying on her single income. Without the leftovers He Yuzhu brought from the cafeteria to supplement their meals, the family would go hungry.

Thinking of this, a wave of panic washed over her. She furrowed her brows, calculating her next move.

Early the next morning, before even eating breakfast, Qin Huairu hovered by the window, eyes fixed on He Yuzhu’s room. She planned to intercept him the moment he stepped out to have a serious talk. She had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

Her thoughts were like drifting willow catkins, scattered and uncertain. She replayed every detail of the situation in her mind, and as the first light of dawn broke, she experienced a moment of clarity.

Qin Huairu thought, if He Yuzhu insisted on finding a wife to spend his life with, why not go with the flow and lend him a hand? A faint smile curled the corners of her lips.

Qin Huairu’s hometown was in the countryside, and she had a cousin named Qin Jingru. Qin Jingru was a young beauty, right at the prime age for marriage. Qin Huairu calculated that if she could play matchmaker and facilitate a marriage between He Yuzhu and Qin Jingru, he would become her cousin-in-law. Once that happened, it would be perfectly reasonable for her to continue getting food from him, and no one would be able to gossip about it.

With her mind made up, her spirits lifted.

However, as she stood up, she heard her mother-in-law, Mrs. Jia, grumbling inside: "Mother of Banggen, what are you busy with so early in the morning? Huaihua can’t even eat her meal properly, and you aren't helping her?"

Qin Huairu’s heart tightened. She knew Mrs. Jia was just looking for trouble, but she had no patience for her mother-in-law right now. She replied dismissively without looking back, "Mom, you help feed little Huaihua; I have something important to take care of."

Mrs. Jia was incensed. "What could be so important? You haven't eaten or drank, just staring out the window. What’s so interesting out there?"

Qin Huairu ignored the nagging, her mind entirely focused on He Yuzhu, fearing she might miss her chance. She rushed out, not even stopping for breakfast. Mrs. Jia gnashed her teeth in anger. "That shameless woman!" she spat, throwing her chopsticks onto the table and refusing to finish her meal.

Just as He Yuzhu stepped over his threshold, he bumped into Qin Huairu, who greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Zhuzi, we’ve been like siblings since we were children. Why have we become so distant now? My heart really isn't at ease," she said, her voice filled with a mix of sentimentality and subtle probing.